The Human Rights Watch report was based on interviews conducted with Hondurans who had been sent back after their applications were denied, as well as with people in detention and using data obtained from the US’s Freedom of Information Act.

„Hondurans who fled extortion and threats from brutal gangs faced fast-track screening procedures in the US that resulted in their deportation without a genuine opportunity to claim asylum. Several of those returned told Human Rights Watch that after their return, they were afraid to leave their houses, fearing for their lives,“ the report reads.

“The US government’s fast-track screening of migrants is ignoring the very real fears of the people arriving at the border,” says Clara Long, US immigration researcher at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. “In its frenzy to stem the tide of migrants from Central America, the US is sending asylum seekers back to the threat of murder, rape, and other violence.”

And the frenzy is not limited to the USA. Aside from the ongoing „stop the boats“ face in Australia, this week police across the EU launched a two-week manhunt for „irregular“ migrants – those living in the EU without permission to stay.

They plan to stake out ‚hiding spots‘ like bus depots, highways and, of course, border crossings, in what the police say is an attempt to crack down on human trafficking rings. However rights groups aren’t convinced, saying it is a crack down on the most vulnerable people in European societies.

In Berlin activists were seen handing out flyers on public transport to warn those at risk of deportation.